


Table For Three

by PointyObjects



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, KogKag Secret Admirer 2021, Meeting the Parents, Nervous Kouga, New Couple, Secret Admirer, dinner with parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29434935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PointyObjects/pseuds/PointyObjects
Summary: No one said meeting your significant others' parents would be easy, and Kouga is determined to dress for the part.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Kouga
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	Table For Three

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darlinglum](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Darlinglum).



Kagome stepped into her shared apartment and for the first time in months, actually had to look where she placed her feet. Having never shared a space with a roommate, and after she moved in with Kouga, there was never a question of mess. She was generally clean herself, and Kouga, bless him, was probably the neatest person she knew. As an added bonus, he often cleaned when something was on his mind or bothering him. She could always tell when he was upset, because his collection of herbal teas would be lined up in alphabetical order on the counter and his shoes were neatly arranged by the door.

Today, on the living room couch was his coat and his well-worn, favorite shoes were strewn on the floor near the door. His wallet was next, then keys, a collection of items like breadcrumbs, marking his path through the apartment until she found him in the bedroom. 

If the living room was a mess, the bedroom was a veritable crime scene. The floor and bed were covered in clothes and bags, most of them with the price tags still on them. 

"Um...Love…" Kagome called, and a huff of frustration met her and the door to the attached bathroom swung open. 

Kouga stood before her, red-faced and on the verge of tears. Immediately, Kagome's alarms went up, and she tried to ascertain what would make him so upset. Before she could even approach him, he spoke.

"Be honest," Kouga asked, his voice laced with frustration. "Do I look as terrible as I feel?"

Kagome blinked. Kouga rarely, if ever, asked him how he looked in clothes, mostly because she was so complimentary to him already. He would pepper in compliments so easily into his interactions with her, even long after they started dating, and Kagome made an effort to reciprocate the gesture. It wasn't difficult; Kouga was so striking, it was easy for her to find something kind to say about him. And after getting to know him, it only increased. He was loving and smart, and considerate to her needs. And if for some reason Kouga did need his opinion, he already decided how she felt about something, but still valued her thoughts. Kouga's decisiveness was one of his most attractive qualities, and being met with uncertainty was jarring for Kagome. 

She approached him with some caution, and not only because of his odd, but still very attractive, state of dress. The button down shirt was just shy of fire-engine red and the tie he chose was haphazardly knotted, and bright green. "You look _great_ , as always-"

"You know what I mean," Kouga began, already loosening the offending tie.

Kagome brushed his hands away softly, and began trying to undo the complicated tie. "You look _fine_ ; what happened in here?"

"I need to look better than 'fine' tonight." She noticed that, instead of at her, Kouga's blue eyes were trained on his reflection in the mirror, no doubt looking at himself with a more critical eye than he deserved. Once the know was thoroughly loosened, Kagome expected him to look down at her, and when he didn't, disappointment settled in her chest. 

Abandoning the bathroom, Kagome kicked her shoes into her half of their shared closet and began peeling away her scrubs to dress for dinner. She hadn't planned on dressing up, but now Kouga's stress was changing her mind. "For dinner? Why?"

"Your mom is coming."

"...okay…?" Kagome picked out a black knit dress from the closet and inspected it, wondering if she had an appropriate bra to go with the garment that would leave her back exposed.

"So…", Kouga began, picking up another tie from the collection he gathered on the bathroom counter,, and holding it up to himself. "I want her to think I look nice."

Tossing the dress on the already covered bed, Kagome called into the bathroom. "Is there something you're not telling me? Because, trust me, I'll look like my mom in roughly twenty-five years. Maybe sooner if my coworker doesn't start pulling her weight." Instead of meeting her remark, or commenting on the frustrating coworker in question, Kouga tossed the tie aside, and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Hey, I mean it; what's wrong?"

Kouga sighed at the question, finally turning to face Kagome. "I just want to make a good impression."

"But, my mom has met you before. She already likes you."

"She's met me as your _friend_. This is...different."

Kagome stepped back over the threshold into the bathroom, the faux wood flooring bending under her. One hand moved to grip his, and the other smoothed over his jaw, gently turning his face to look at her. The worry in his eyes went deeper than picking out a shirt to wear to dinner, but she didn't want to offer more platitudes than genuine comfort. Like the minefield that was the floor of their apartment, Kagome would have to tread with some care. "Where is this coming from, Kouga? My mom is going to _love_ you. Seriously, what's not to love?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kouga began, frustration in his voice that Kagome knew better than to take personally. "Maybe the fact that I'm a college dropout-"

"Yes; you left school to take care of your brothers-"

"-I'm barely making enough for us to cover rent-"

"-we have plenty-"

"And this apartment isn't exactly in the nicest part of town-"

"-the nicest part of town is super gentrified, anyway. I'd much rather swing by the corner store for a six pack after work, than the 'Wine and Charcuterie Club' for overpriced cocktails." Kagome put on an affected voice for the establishment they both passed by on the way to their favorite food truck spot, and was happy when it garnered her a small smile from her boyfriend. 

Kouga finally reciprocated her gesture, moving his large hands over Kagome's arms. "I just wish I could give you...more," he told her, looking around their small home.

Kagome's hand at his jaw was firm. Making sure he looked at her as she spoke. "I have more than enough. _You_ are more than enough."

"If you say so." 

"I _do_." Kagome was happy that his gaze softened, and knew she had to address more than his wardrobe woes. "I know that awful little voice in your head tells you different, but you let him know, so long as I'm around, I'm gonna give him hell every day. And I can be very persistent."

Despite his height towering over hers, Kouga bent to press his forehead against Kagome's. She smiled at the warm breath falling over her nose and lips, content that he was coming closer to a place of peace. "You're amazing," Kouga said on a sigh. "Sorry about the mess; I just...freaked out.:

Finding their closeness sufficient enough, Kagome wrapped her arms around Kouga's middle and rested her chin on his chest to look up. "You know my mom doesn't care whether or not you wear a tie, right?"

Looking to the counter, Kouga laughed, the first sound of genuine mirth coming from him. "Good, because I really hate all of these ties."

Kagome nodded at the spread before them. "Me too." With a peck on her forehead, she released him, and returned to their bedroom to finish dressing.

"And I guess I don't want to set a precedent of her thinking I'm going to wear one of these everytime we see each other."

Pulling her scrub top over her head, Kagome bent to look back into her bathroom. "You planning on seeing my mom a lot?"

" _Hopefully_. She's going to be my mom too someday, and-"

Kagome felt the air around her still, as a buzzing went off in her ears. She could tell Kouga was similarly frozen, and as each moment passed like an hour, Kagome turned, half-dressed to look expectantly at Kouga. They had never discussed their future with any certainty, and the topic of marriage was definitely not broached. Kagome still had a few boxes in the back of her closet she didn't get around to unpacking. 

Kouga was paused in speech and motion for a moment, his cheeks as red as his shirt. "I mean...on the phone...she had...she had good mom...energy…"

Kagome nodded slowly, more deeply at allowing him to speak than trying to untangle the web they both walked into. "Mom...energy?"

"Yeah," Kouga began somewhat confidently. "And you- _you_ said, Sango calls her 'mom', and everyone on Souta's team calls her 'mom' and...I thought, ya know…"

Kagome's dress had fallen to the ground, and she was left without anything to fidget with, besides her fingers. "Yeah, she's...a great mom."

Kouga walked into their room, all at once confident and boyishly unsure, and Kagone felt her chest constrict. 

"And, if I _did_ want her...ya know, to be my mother-in-law-"

"Yes?" In the back of her mind, Kagome wanted to kick herself for cutting him off, sounding too eager, when the idea itself was still new. 

Kouga paused before her, taking only a moment for his eyes to notice her state of undress, but lingering over Kagome's grey eyes. "Three months is...too soon to have that conversation...right?" He searched her eyes for some answer to his question, the pause between them stretching out like a band. 

"Of course. It's...that's very soon," Kagome breathed the lie, and immediately wanted to take it back. 

"Unless...it's not?" Kagome watched as Kouga bent slightly, almost as if to inspect her face for any more traces of untruth. She hated to admit it, but he was skilled at sniffing out when her nervousness made a liar of her. 

"It's...not."

"Really?" he asked, looking altogether elated and relieved.

Kagome nodded, and the smile threatening to split Kouga's face was contagious. " _Really_."

"Because I didn't think it was too soon three months ago when you moved in. But I thought...you _might-_ "

"I...wouldn't have."

Kagome was ready to flee at her admission, and Kouga caught her by her slim elbows to keep her in place. Before she could make another attempt at escape, Kouga bent low again, each word on a breath that ghosted over Kagome's parted lips. "And I didn't think it was too soon when I walked you home from our first date."

"You didn't?"

"Did _you_?" The mischievous smile that drew her in months prior as back on his face.

"...not really?" Kagome broke contact, nervousness getting the better of her. She noticed Kouga immediately, but waited to make anything resembling a move for fear of rejection. Of course she allowed her imagination to run wild those first few weeks during their earlier meetings, but Kagone was sure she was alone in her musings. 

"And I didn't think it was too soon the first time I saw you."

"You don't mean that," Kagome said, even though she knew that he did. "You don't think that would have been...I don't know, weird? 'Hi, I'm Kouga, your future husband.'"

"Not at all." Kouga's mood lifted considerably, and in an effort to ensure that it stayed that way, Kagome allowed herself to be guided back to their bed, still mostly covered with wrinkled clothes, new and old alike. A clothes hanger was digging into her back, but Kagome ignored it, choosing to focus on Kouga's lips over hers, dragging soft sighs from her throat as he settled over her.

Kagome hooked her leg around Kouga's waist, warmth spreading down her chest and to her stomach, as he reached behind her to plush eagerly at the hooks of her bra. He never broke contact with her mouth, and Kagome slid her thumbs between his heated skin and the waistband of his khaki pants. 

Just over the sound of their labored breathing she heard a knock on the front door, and Kagome froze in place for the second time that evening. Her wide eyes and stillness drew Kouga's attention, before a second knock made his movements come to a halt as well. 

"She's here."

Kouga scrambled away from Kagome with a frustrated moan, and Kagome, crawled off the bed, clutching her unhooked bra to her body somewhat clumsily, to retrieve her discarded dress. Kagome latched the offending garment, and Kouga looked on in mock sadness, before buttoning his shirt up again.

"I can't believe she's early!" Kagome grunted into her closet, trying to find a decent pair of heels to match her black dress.

"I thought it didn't matter what we wear…" Kouga teased.

"It doesn't matter what you wear," Kagome answered, pulling on a tried and true pair of strappy sandals, "Watch; she's going to mention that I don't have any lipstick on and then offer me one of hers."

"Well, I mean...you had lipstick on…" Kouga swooped in, parting his lips over Kagome's, a promise that after dinner, they would finish their evening without interruption. As quickly as he descended on her, Kouga pulled away, and Kagome barely had time to recover and catch his arm before he could leave the room. He looked at her expectantly, as she dragged her eyes over his wrinkled collar.

"Wear the blue shirt," Kagome said, her voice low and breathy. She meant for it to be a request, but the statement was hungry and impatient. Kouga turned and grinned, taking his time with each button. 

With the path out of the bedroom now clear, Kagome moved around Kouga and through the living room. Tearing open the door, her heart soared as she saw her mother, hand raised and ready to knock again. She was wrapped in a coat Kagome didn't recognize, and returned her smile readily. 

Kagome pulled her mother into a hug, and settled into the familiar embrace. Ryo stepped back, taking in Kagome's dress with a kind and gently cautious eye.

"That dress is beautiful on you, dear," she began, trying to discreetly see around her daughter. Kagome smiled and prepared for the rapid speaking and unpredictable jumps between topics that came with conversing with her mother. "Are you ready to go? All I had for lunch was a grapefruit and some almonds- oh Kagome, you really should put some lipstick on! If you don't have one you like, I have one here that I bought; it's a bit too red for someone my age, but it's all yours of you want it-"

"Mama, Kouga just got home from work, and I hate to ask this, but-"

"Oh, honey, don't worry! I'll go get a table for us! Maybe something outside? That dress is just perfect for you, but for heaven's sake, bring a sweater; there's supposed to be a chill tonight and you'll catch pneumonia with your arms out like that!"

"Absolutely; table outside, I'll go grab a sweater, and," Kagome told her, leaning forward and extending her palm. "I'll take the lipstick."

Another few seconds, and the door closed behind Kagome, who mentally calculated how long she could reasonably let her mother wait for them at the restaurant, minus the time it would take for her to leave lipstick on every discreet inch of her boyfriend's skin, in case he needed any more encouragement for the rest of the night.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Happy KogKag Secret Admirer Day! This was so much fun to write, and to darlinglum, I really hope you enjoyed it!! Time for notes!
> 
> \- In the first draft of this fic, it was Kagome who was nervous about meeting Kouga's parents, but it just didn't vibe like I wanted to. So I switched it up, and I like it much more!
> 
> \- I have this black dress that I LOVE (and got at a super awesome discount), but I haven't bought a bra that won't show in it. I don't know why I added that detail, but alas. 
> 
> \- I regularly tell my husband that in twenty five years or so, he'll essentially be married to my mom, but honestly she's a hottie with a body and she makes a mean adobo, so kudos to him.
> 
> \- My husband grew up in a city that is slowly being gentrified, and the liquor store where he would buy a soda after school is now a Wine and Charcuterie Club. It is so snobby and expensive. I don't get it, even though I love both wine and cured meats and cheeses. 
> 
> \- If you've read Friends With Financial Benefits, you'll know that I've named Kagome's mother Ryo, and I just...couldn't think of another name. She's based largely on my own awesome mom, who loves and feeds me everytime I visit, loves long hugs, and is always telling me to put on some lipstick.


End file.
